The demolition of a group of houses at risk of "
imminent collapse
" in the gypsy district of Saint-Jacques in Perpignan began on Friday, December 17, a decision of the town hall denounced by activists for the preservation of heritage.
“
The Aspahr rises strongly against this destruction.
The Saint-Jacques district has an overall value which, over the course of the demolitions, disappears
”, underlines this association for the safeguard of the Roussillon heritage.
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For its part, the town hall headed by RN Louis Aliot highlights “
two expert reports (which) have shown that the heavy rains at the end of November seriously damaged the last buildings on the Puig block
”. "
This development entails a de facto imminent risk of collapse
," she explains in a press release.
Jean-Bernard Mathon, heritage specialist in the region and member of Aspahr, affirms that he is "
not aware of these expertises
" cited by the municipality.
"
Perhaps there is a proven risk of collapse, but the real problem is that neither the old municipality, nor the current one, did what was necessary to avoid this happening
”, he told AFP.
"
If we want to preserve the architectural heritage of Saint-Jacques, we must put the means
", he argues.
"Violence will lead nowhere"
The demolition of this islet had already been ordered by the previous mayor of Perpignan Jean-Marc Pujol (LR) but an unprecedented mobilization of the inhabitants of the district in 2018 had made it possible to stop the excavator dead. Nick Gimenez, one of the patriarchs of the gypsy community, had participated, fearing that in the long term the gypsies would be driven out of this downtown area. He told AFP today that "
violence will lead to nothing
", and advocates dialogue with the town hall. The latter promised in its press release "
a housing construction project in consultation with the inhabitants
". "
The constructions which will replace those which are razed today will never have the old character, nor the qualities of those which are destroyed.
The city is heading towards banality and memory loss
, ”accuses Aspahr for his part.
Populated by around 4,000 people, the historic district of Saint-Jacques, built from the 13th century on the initiative of the kings of Mallorca, has a unique identity because one of the largest settled gypsy communities in Europe coexists there, a population of North African origin and other Catalan families.